The purpose of this study was to determine the contributions of student effort, campus environments and institutional culture to student learning in three types of institutions: small residential colleges; large residential universities; and universities located in metropolitan areas. Data sources were qualitative assessments of 13 campus cultures…

This paper describes an effort to find ways to respond to the challenges of supporting student and faculty diversity by providing data about the experiences of Latino undergraduates at the University of Michigan. Data were collected from a random sample of 73 Latino undergraduates and a comparison group of 24 non-Latinos. The Latino group…

This book is designed to help college students (and prospective college students) prepare themselves to meet and complete the requirements of their college or university and obtain a bachelor's degree. Individual chapters offer advice on: (1) the enhanced earning power of a college degree; (2) deciding whether to attend a four-year college or a…

The issue of alcohol use, with occasional reference to other drug use, by college students is reviewed in this report: which (1) summarizes what is known about the influence of collegiate environments on college student use of alcohol; and (2) suggests how campus policies and practices can be modified to create environmental conditions that have a…

A study compared perceptions of institutional climate among four categories of female education students at the University of Utah: traditional age students (age 24 and under) who are Latter Day Saints (Mormons) or non-Latter Day Saints (non-LDS); and older students (age 25 and over) who are LDS or non-LDS. It was hypothesized that older students…

The evolution of the University of Minnesota's program of student volunteers in the college union is described. The program draws on developmental theories, and suggest ways of integrating union program production and specific educational goals for the volunteers engaged in that production: individual autonomy, commitment of values, integration of…

How the nature of the campus culture helps determine the levels of enrollment and retention of African-American students is examined in this study conducted at Oberlin College, Ohio, a college that has shown relative success in enrolling and retaining African-American students. The study provides excerpts from numerous interviews with students,…

In 1988, a survey was conducted at Compton Community College to ascertain whether the needs and priorities of its students were primarily campus-related or external. The study was also structured to identify students who planned to transfer to another college before completing their degree requirements. The survey solicited information on…

A design for improving the quality of information available for continuous operational study of student retention at the University of Hartford in Connecticut was examined involving a microcomputer based decision support system for student retention research. The system, an interactive modeling approach to conduct longitudinal and comparative…

Five hundred incoming students attending Mount Saint Vincent University (Nova Scotia) were selected to participate in a study designed to compare the expectations and experiences of traditional students (who entered immediately after high school or transferred from another university or college) and nontraditional students (who entered part-time…

The validity and reliability of the Institutional Performance Survey (IPS) as an institutional self-study instrument were assessed, with a focus on four types of validity (content, face, construct, and concurrent) and three types of reliability (test-retest, internal consistency, and rater reliability). It was found that IPS appears to reasonably…

A hands-on study for executives, researchers, and students who want to better understand how organizational culture can support or impede decision making strategies in a complex changing collegiate environment is provided. Leadership strategies and institutional problems are described. Seven different collegiate cultures are explored via case…

Stresses experienced by college students at different educational levels are considered, along with ways that colleges can help reduce destructive forms of stress. After discussing how stress and coping are related, problems in defining stress and coping are considered, and models are proposed for understanding stress. Following an overview on the…

Four papers on an ethnographic study of Christian Brothers College (CBC) in Australia, a Catholic college, are presented. In "Christian Brothers College: A View from Overseas," Louis M. Smith discusses research methods, the religious ethos, faculty heterogeneity, diversity in classroom organization, the organizational context of the…

The Success Project was initiated by the San Diego Community College District in 1985 to improve remedial instruction and support services, increase faculty participation in instructional decision making, and provide a means for following up on decisions. In the first year, task forces on instructional assessment, student assessment, remediation,…